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Otago Daily Times, Issue 20866, 5 November 1929, Page 14

A sapphire of record size, said to weigh 1000 carats, is reported to have been discovered near Mogok, in India, in a mine owned by some poor Burmans. The largest sapphire hitherto known was the jewel cut in the shape of a cluster of flowers which was displayed in the Bombay Court at the Empire Exhibition at Wembley. It weighed 016 carats. For many years the sapphire had been used as a paper-weight by an Indian State official who did not suspect its value and had allowed his children to play with'the jewel. It was found to have a history going back to the 12th century. —-Letters to the number of 160.000 were sent by air out of Britain last year, while the total weight of the air mails was about five tons. In America the air mails average 230 tons every month. —Amsterdam has a river called Y; in China there is a city called U. and in Sweden a town called A. Birmingham people have nearly £10,000,000 in their, municipal bank. —London is growing faster than any great city. Its uopulation has risen from 6,300.000 to 8,000,000 in the last 2-5 years.